News Release

Monday, March 9, 2009

Barricaded Suicidal Woman Results in Officer-Involved Shooting

Los Angeles: The incident began about 7:30 p.m. on March 5, 2009 when officers were dispatched to a residence where a woman was threatening to commit suicide in the 8900 block of La Tuna Canyon Road.

Officers were met by two adults outside of the home, who reported that there was a woman inside the home, who had fired shots from a handgun and threatened to kill herself. No shots were known to have been fired at the adults or officers.

While the officers were outside of the home trying to communicate with the woman, additional shots were heard.

The LAPD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team was called and arrived with a crisis negotiation team. The team began trying to communicate with the woman, who appeared to be distraught over personal problems.

On March 6, 2009, at 11:40 a.m., the woman emerged from the house with a gun and walked toward a SWAT armored vehicle. Several times, officers yelled for her to stop and drop her weapon, but she continued walking alongside the SWAT vehicle and around the back of it where containment officers were located. Preliminary information indicates that she raised her gun, and officers fired a round of less lethal ammunition but didn’t strike her. She then raised her gun and pointed it at the officers, at which time an officer involved shooting occurred.

The officers involved in the shooting were Officer Kelly Sandell, 14 years with the Department, Officer Gary Koba, 19 years with the Department and Officer Howard Ng, 15 years with the Department.

LAPD had arranged for an LAFD rescue ambulance to stand by, and the woman was immediately transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The female has been identified as 53 year-old, Victoria Fox of Sun Valley.